Rosen Center for Advanced Computing
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Cancelled: Off-Campus access to Community Clusters to require VPN, BoilerKey

Link to update at February 6, 2019 2:00pm EST UPDATE:

This change has been cancelled in favor of a different phased approach toward securing research systems from the internet at large. New announcements will be made for those changes as they are determined. We still advise the use of the Purdue VPN for off-campus users' security, but this will not be required at this time. Thank you.

Link to update at December 3, 2018 5:14pm EST UPDATE:

In order to make sure this change does not adversely affect users, we are undertaking a more extensive communications plan around this and the actual implementation date has been postponed. We do encourage everyone to start using the VPN for any off-campus access as soon as possible though. While the date has changed and there will be more alerts going out about this, the end goal remains the same. Thanks!

Link to original posting ORIGINAL:

Starting Monday, February 11, 2019, login access to the community clusters from off-campus will require using Purdue's virtual private network (VPN). As with any use of the Purdue VPN, access to community clusters through Purdue’s VPN will require BoilerKey, Purdue's two-factor authentication. This includes:

  • SSH
  • Thinlinc remote desktops
  • CIFS access to cluster scratch

On-campus access to community clusters will remain unchanged, and VPN is not required for Globus data transfers.

Purdue's VPN network allows users to access campus resources, including the community clusters, from anywhere in the world at any time of day. If your department IT staff administers your computer, you will need them to install the VPN client for you. If you maintain your own computer, go to the AnyConnect WebVPN portal and follow the instructions to get connected.

Purdue's network is a large target and as such under attack regularly by cybercriminals trying to access sensitive information. To ensure the integrity of the Purdue network, ITaP began enforcing the use of BoilerKey on the WebVPN in September.

If you do not yet have BoilerKey, go to purdue.edu/boilerkey to sign up today. For VPN and BoilerKey assistance:

Tech Support:

  • West Lafayette and IUPUI campuses: itap@purdue.edu or (765) 494-4000
  • Purdue Northwest: csc@pnw.edu or (219) 989-2888
  • After hours support for BoilerKey, as well as password resets, is available for all campuses by phone at (765) 494-4000.

Further information about using ITaP Research Computing resources can be found in the community cluster user guides or by contacting rcac-help@purdue.edu.

Thank you,

Preston Smith, Director of Research Services and Support, ITaP Research Computing

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